The Interior DIYer
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My HomeSense Ireland launch haul

This morning we had good light and I had a few minutes to myself so I took pictures of my HomeSense haul I picked up on Wednesday night.

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I didn’t realise I got a gift card to spend in store at the launch until almost an hour into my visit. It was a happy surprise and because I’d already been around the shop twice, I had a few [massive understatement] pieces in mind that I wouldn’t have had a problem bringing home. And here they are …

[Above photo] DECORATIVE MAGNIFYING GLASS, €9.99 AT HOMESENSE
I’ve always wanted a magnifying glass for our coffee table, but it was one of those things I never ended up actually getting. I saw this one at the launch on Wednesday and it was the first thing in my trolley. The first of many. 

ROSE GOLD BOTTLE HOLDER, €8.99 AT HOMESENSE
HomeSense have an actual rose gold section in the kitchen area. I saw this wine bottle holder and picked it up because Robert and I spend a lot of time at home, so if we do have a glass of something, this will make us feel fancier. Even if we’re in our PJ’s on the couch watching Better Call Saul. 

[That bottle of wine is a screw cap. I put the cork on the table in an attempt to look sophisticated. Full disclosure].

WINTER GREEN THROW PILLOW WITH POM POMS, €16.99 AT HOMESENSE
Of HomeSense’s pillow aisles [yes, aisles as in plural], I kept going back to this dark green pillow. It’s my favourite deep green [just like our footstool] and in the softest fabric. I wasn’t sure about the bright green pom poms, but there are tiny hints of bright green in our living room [like on one of my iBride trays], so I went for it and I’m surprised with how much I like such a bright colour on our couch.

BLACK VANILLA VEGETABLE WAX CANDLE, €8.99 AT HOMESENSE
There’s a black candle section in HomeSense. I stood there for about 10 minutes looking at all the black candles and eventually decided on this black vanilla candle. It smells like heaven. I’m a sucker for a pretty candle.  

I got 2 more pieces in my HomeSense haul; something for Robert ahead of Father’s Day and something for my mom, but didn’t want to share them in case they see them here. 

Thank you again to the lovely Kate and Kayla and HomeSense for the invitation to the launch and for the generous gift card! It worked. I’ll be back.  

DISCLOSURE – while this blog post is not sponsored, I did receive a gift card to the amount of €50 free of charge to spend at the HomeSense launch. As always, all words and opinions are my own. I only work with companies I like and of course, think that you will too. Thank you for supporting the companies that support The Interior DIYer.

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Faux taxidermy from Felt Fauna by AC

We were to get good weather last Friday, so my brother and I planned to go with Cora to the Bloom in the Park festival. I had never been before this year, so I was curious to see what all the hype was about.   

It did not disappoint and we were surprised by how big the festival was. We had a great time eating too much food and wandering for hours. At one point, we walked into the craft village and that’s when I saw from afar, Ali’s stall. Felt Fauna by AC. When I saw her creatures I immediately headed straight for her stall while making a deeply unflattering sound, in a very Brick Tamland manner. 

Ali’s corner stall was filled with the most adorable and magical little felt creatures. From baboons to lions to tigers and bears, and all were made through needle felting techniques. The detail, realness and comical cuteness Ali put into each piece kept me jumping from one to another. There was no way I was going home without a little felt friend for Cora’s wall, but as I said to Ali, I had to walk around the festival to help me decide which one as they were all way too damn cute.

I came back an hour later, looked around her stall another 4 times, decided on a lovely grey elephant with a gold crown but at the last minute I changed my mind and brought home a cheeky little pink piglet [whose party hat I was able to swap with the elephant’s gold crown]. The little piglet had such a cute expression on their face that I just couldn’t resist. Plus, a little pink face would look so much better against Cora’s Pantone ‘Lunar Rock’ walls [and happily matched our Bill Murray framed print too]. 

I hung up little piglet [name TBC] the next morning and I could not be happier with his / her cheeky little grin smiling down on Cora when she’s in her crib. I mean, look at the little twinkle in their eye. Ali’s attention to detail is insane. She creates so many different types of creatures as well as does custom orders, I doubt this will be the only piece of hers we own. I’m just so glad I didn’t leave Bloom without our new felted friend.

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My five favourite secondhand pieces

For me, there’s something so exciting about finding just the right piece in a secondhand shop vs. looking in a catalogue or branded store. Maybe it’s because you’re finding one-of-a-kind pieces? Or because you have to work so much harder to find something. Or, I find, sometimes secondhand pieces have so much more character. 

There are a handful of secondhand pieces we own that every time I look at I think to myself, I’m so glad I found you // brought you home // loved you like a James Blunt song. So on this lazy and very sunny Friday, I thought I’d share the pieces I’m eternally glad I found …

1. BAR CART, €10 from Debra Ireland charity shop
It wasn’t even for sale the day I went into Debra Ireland charity shop and asked about our bar cart. I love our bar cart. I’m not a particularly outgoing person when it comes to people I don’t know or potentially awkward situations, so asking about buying our bar cart was a big deal at the time. Nowadays I think to myself, what would be worse? Doing something and it being a little awkward for 5 minutes, or not doing that thing and regretting it forever? I’m going for the former more and more these days. If you’d like, you can see my original bar cart blog post here! 
.2. MOZART BUST, €15 from Second Abbey 
He wears a less these days as I find I don’t wear necklaces very often anymore, but my Mozart bust is still one of my favourite pieces in our bedroom. Mozart was also my very first Instagram! If you’d like to see what Mozart looked like before and his little story, check it out here.

3. STOKKE SLEEPI CRIB, €200 on adverts.ie
I know going by the price we paid, it doesn’t seem like we got a good deal. But considering these cribs cost 4-figures brand new, can transform and last for 10+ years and is just straight up a beautiful crib, it was an investment we were happy to make. If you’d like to know more, you can read about our Stokke crib’s longevity here. 

p.s. Cora knows a good deal when she sees it.

4. BEDSIDE TABLES, €16 for the pair on adverts.ie
They were such cheap and rickety bedside tables, but when I took the drawers apart to repaint them, I found they had been put together wrong. A few coats of paint, some faux marble painting on the top and some new handles, I still love our bedside tables. And the paint has held up perfectly even since. You can see their transformation here. 

5. CURIO CABINET, €20 from Mac’s Warehouse 
My curio cabinet was gifted to me by my parents for my 30th birthdayafter they asked and I hinted towards what I’d like. I love my cabinet, but … I’ve never really filled it. Welp + guilt. I’ve tried styling a few things in it, but nothing looks right. I think only a collection of one type of thing will work. I have a healthy collection of feathers and I’d love to display them, but I don’t know how. Tape them up? Put them in little jars? I’m really useless and get stuck with the silliest design problems.